Firearm



Aug. 14, 1934. DRIGGS. JR

FIREARM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 26, 1932 Raw m 0 W T N m R w I m wm L J d L W J Aug. 14, 1934.

L. L. DRIGGS. JR 1,970,501

FIREARM Filed Oct. 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Shed 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 14, 1934 a UNITED S AT S;

FIREARM Louis L. Briggs, Jr., Tippecanoe City, Ohio Application October 26', 1932, Serial No. 639,642

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in firearms adapted to be used for discharging flares, and has for its object to provide a firearm having a short barrel and a relatively long handle ex- 5 tending from the barrel.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a firearm having a barrel and a hammer casing integral therewith, in alignment with the barrel for containing a hammer for discharging a flare located in the barrel. I

It is also an object of this invention to provide a firearm having a short barrel adapted to contain a cartridge, with means for detachably holding the cartridge so positioned that the detach-- able means may be operated by the thumb of the hand gripping a handle extending from the bar rel.

g It is also an object of this invention to pro- ,vide, in connectionwith a firearm having a hammer for discharging the cartridge in the barrel thereof, a trigger for causing the discharge of the cartridge in the barrel, means for locking the trigger, and means for locking the cartridge in the barrel, the trigger being so located that it may be gripped by the index finger of the hand gripping the handle of the firearm, while the latch means and the means for holding the trigger are so positioned that they may be operated by the thumb of the same hand.

It is a further object of this invention to pro-- vide an apparatus and a method for removing a cartridge from a container, unlocking the discharging means, discharging the cartridge and releasing the discharged cartridge shell by the operation by one hand of the person manipulating the firearm.

These and other advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the firearm, showing a part of the cartridge located in the barrel thereof.

Figure 2 is a. front elevation of the firearm.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a view showing a rack for supporting cartridges, with the firearm attachedto one of the cartridges for removing it from the rack. 50 Figure 5 is a vertical, longitudinal section through the firearm, with a cartridge attached thereto, showing the hammer in firing position.

Figure 6 isaviewsimilartoFigure 5butwith the hammer withdrawn, ready for firing. V

Figure '7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a section through the firearm, showing the means by which the cartridge latch is pivoted to the firearm.

to The firearm asawholeconsistsoia-tubmar member with an integral handle extending from one end thereof. The tubular member is divided into a barrel section 1, having a large bore 2 and a hammer casing 4, separated from the barrel by means of a breech wall 5. A'handle 3 is relatively long and extends in an oblique direction from the hammer casing. The interior of the hammer casing, instead of being round like the bore of the barrel, is rectangular in shape and provides a vertically disposed cavityor chamber, in which a hammer is located and moves.

In the central part of the breech wall is a hole 6 forreceiving a firing pin locatedon the hammer. 'The rear end of the hammer casing is closed by means of a ,cap 7,-attached to the casing by means of screws 7a. The handle adjacent the hammer casing is hollow, or has an opening 8 extending longitudinally and connecting with a similar opening in the hammer casing to provide a. housing for the operating mechanism of the firearm.

The rear of the opening 8 is closed by means of a. closure plate .9 attached to the handle by means of a screw 10. The hammer llis pivoted at its lower end between the side walls of the handle, and extends upwardly inthe opening of' the handle into the'hammer casing; The hammer is composed of two spaced side bars 12, held in spaced relationship at their upper ends by means of an intervening plug 13, and at their lower ends by means of a spacer sleeve 14. The two side bars have holes therein in alignment with the sleeve for receiving a pivot pin 15, supported in the sides of the handle. This pin has two opposite sides flattened for a purpose hereinafter to be described. a v V,

On the upper end of the h'ammer and projecting forwardly from the plug 13 is afiring pin 16, which extends rearwardly through the plug and forms a projection for supporting one endof a spring 17, the other end of which engages the inside back wall'of the cap 7. This spring 1'! acts to force the hammer forwardly,.

with the pinthrough the hole 6, for firing the I cap of a cartridge located within the barrel.

On the pivot pin 19 isa dog'1 8. .For the upper end of this dog is astop 20, while on the lower end is a cam 21. Between the upper end of the dog and the plug 13 of thehammer is a spring 22, which tends to hold theJupper end of the dog in. spaced relationshipi'to theupper end-of the hammer, and against'ythe stop 20.

Pivoted at the point 24 between the'side walls of the handle, adjacent the barrel,;is;a trigger 23, which is triangular in shape and somewhat longer than itis wide, with its wide. end extending downwardly. The-front part of this trigger is adapted to be enga ed by index fingerv o1 thehand holding the handle of thefirearm. Ad-' trigger is a stop 25, adapted to engage the rear of the breech wall to prevent the trigger being moved too far backward.

Beneath the stop is a cam 26 adapted to engage the cam 21 on the dog for withdrawing the hammer from the breech wall and the firing pin from the hole 6. As the trigger is moved backwardly it forces the dog and the hammer backwardly. This backward movement of the dog and the hammer continues until the cam 26 passes beyond the lower end of the cam 21, at which time the hammer is released and forced forwardly by means of the spring 1'7, which has been compressed by the backward movement of the hammer.

.The trigger is held in advanced position by means of a spring 27, coiled adjacent its center about a pin 28. One end of this spring is bent and engages a pin 29 adjacent the rear wall of the handle, while the other end is bent forwardly and engaged, at the point 30, in the hole in the back edge of the trigger.

In order to prevent an excessive forward movement of the trigger under the action of the spring 27 there is provided, on the lower inner corner of the trigger, a stop 31 which engages with the front wall of the handle at the lower edge of the opening in the handle. Adjacent the stop 31 and in advance thereof is a notch 32, which is adapted to receive a holding pin located on the forward or outer ends of a pair of links 33. These links have in their rear ends an elongated hole 34 to receive the flattened pin 15 so that whenever this pin rotates it will cause the links and the pin 35 to rotate therewith.

The pin 35 is adapted to seat in the notch 32 to prevent the movement of the trigger as long as this pin is located in the notch. The pin is withdrawn from the notch by means of a trip lever 36, which has in one end an elongated hole 3'? to receive an end of the pin 15. This trip lever has on its other end, opposite the elongated hole, a thumb piece 38 adapted to be engaged by the thumb of the hand holding the handle, for releasing the trigger.

In the side of the barrel and the hammer casing adjacent the thumb piece 38 is a seat 39, which has extending from one part thereof, into the barrel, a hole 40. In this seat is a latch member 41,- which has extending downwardly therefrom a thumb piece 42, and inwardly thereinto, through the hole 40, 2. lug 43 for engaging a shoulder 44 on the inner end of the cartridge The latch is pivoted to a side of the hammer casing by means of a longitudinally extending pin 46.

Around this pin and engaging the latch and the hammer casing is a spring 47, tending to hold the latch in its seat. The two thumb members are so located that they may both be operated by the thumb of the hand gripping the handle, while the trigger 23 may be operated by the index finger of the same hand.

In Figure 4 there is shown a rack 51 for supporting and containing cartridges. .When it is desired to attach one of these cartridges to the firearm the barrel is inserted over the upper end of the cartridge with the lug 43 so withdrawn that the shoulder 44 may pass beyond the lug, after which the thumb member of the latch is released and the firearm withdrawn, carrying the cartridge with it. I

In order to discharge the cartridge the thumb presses upon the thumb piece 38 to withdraw the pin 35 from the notch 32, after which the trigger 23 is drawn backwardly, thereby withdrawing the hammer until the cam 26 passes beyond the cam 21, when the spring 17 forces the hammer forwardly and the firing pin into the hole 6 to discharge the cartridge. After the cartridge has been discharged the thumb presses upon the thumb piece of the'la'tch so that the cartridge is released and readily drops from the barrel. The firearm is operated in all respects by one hand.

The pin 35 is held in the notch 32 by means of a spring 48 coiled about a pin 49, and having one end 50 engaging the links 33 and the other end engaging the handle 3.

It will be understood that I- desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as come within the scope of my claims and my inv'ention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a firearm, a pivoted trigger having a notch therein, a pivoted latch having a portion engag-' ing in said notch, means yieldably urging said latch into engagement with said notch, and a thumb piece on said latch located adjacent said trigger, whereby the fingers of one hand may successively operate said thumb piece and trigger.

2. In a firearm, a muzzle-loading barrel having a partition transversely thereof with a firing pin port, a handle communicating with said barrel on one side of the partition, trigger-operated mechanism mounted therein extending from the handle into the barrel, a pivoted trigger on said handle below the barrel, having a notch therein, a latch mounted on said handle adapted to vfit in the notch and lock said trigger and means yieldably urging said latch into engagement with said notch.

3. In a firearm, a barrel having a handle thereon, a hammer consisting of a pair of bars, each connected at one end to one end of the other by a plug having a firing pin therein and connected at the other ends by a sleeve, a dog pivoted between the bars and having at one end a cam surface and at its other end a spring engaging the dog and the plug, a spring to force the hammer against the barrel, and means for engaging the cam surface of the dog to withdraw the hammer from the barrel against the spring.

4. In a firearm, a hammer therefor consisting of a pair of spaced members having at one end a firing pin and at the other end a spacer sleeve forming a pivot means, and a cam dog pivoted between the members.

5. In a firearm, a hammer therefor consisting of a pair of bars, each connected at one end to one end of the other by a plug carrying a firing pin and the other ends of the bars connected by a pivot sleeve, a cam dog pivoted between the bars, a cam on one end of the dog, a stop on the bars for the other end of the dog, and a spring between said other end of the dog and the plug tending to hold the dog against the stop.

LOUIS L. DRIGGS, JR. 

